Kno Brings Textbook App to iPad

Ed tech developer Kno has formally released a version of its electronic textbook app on Apple's iOS platform.

Textbooks for iPad, currently in beta (though listed as version 1.3 in the App Store as of this writing), offers access to a catalog of 70,000 college- and university-level electronic textbooks from major textbook publishers, including Cengage Learning and McGraw-Hill Higher Education, among others. Kno reported it will offer books at 30 percent to 50 percent off list prices through the Kno Store.

The app itself offers a range of enhanced mobile learning tools for working with textbooks, including a course manager that lets students organize textbooks and other learning materials in a central location.

Other e-learning features of the Textbooks for iPad app include:

A social networking feature called Words to Friends that connects students via Facebook and Twitter;

Text highlighting;

Sticky notes;

Chapter previews; and

Support for downloading and reading PDFs from the Web.

Textbooks for iPad is available now in beta form through the iTunes App Store. The free software supports English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Dutch, and Basque. The first 200 students who participate in the beta will receive a free textbook. Details about the Early Bird Beta Program can be found on Kno's Facebook page.

About the Author

David Nagel is editorial director, education for 1105 Media's Public Sector Media Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal. A 22-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.